Brad Lander Detained by IDF During West Bank Olive Harvest
New York congressional candidate Brad Lander's participation in a Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank led to a brief detention by the IDF.
Democratic House candidate Brad Lander reported being detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while participating in a Palestinian olive harvest in Judea and Samaria. Lander, a candidate for New York's 10th Congressional District and former New York City comptroller, shared his account on social media.
Lander stated that the occupation is "a crime under international law" and that harvesting olives should not be illegal. He was in the West Bank to assist with the olive harvest, an activity he described as a fall tradition.
According to the IDF, the harvest was not coordinated, and the landowner was informed that they needed to coordinate with the IDF and were provided with contact information to arrange a harvest at a later date. The IDF noted that approximately 100 coordinated harvests have taken place this season in Judea and Samaria without incident.
The New York Post article characterized Lander's involvement as seeking "undeserved attention" and suggested that progressive politicians are increasingly traveling internationally to focus on causes like Palestine rather than domestic issues. The report also described a pattern of what it called coordinated campaigns by Palestinian groups, NGOs, and international observers to document Israeli actions during olive harvests, often coinciding with alleged riots and attacks on Jewish farmers.
Following his release, Lander asserted on social media that such detentions by the IDF are an attempt to undermine Palestinians' rights and are part of "escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing."